Clare v Cork: Brian Lohan feared that Shane O'Donnell wouldn't return to play after concussion
"We were conscious it was such a serious incident," said Lohan. "It was absolutely 100% his decision and his call as to when he came back"
Clare boss Brian Lohan admits he feared that Shane O'Donnell would not return to inter-county hurling after his serious concussion issues in 2021.
Star forward O'Donnell suffered the concussion in training with Clare in early June of that year, causing him to miss the 2021 championship.
He made a return at club level after a 10 week break, but another head injury caused him to take more time off.
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O'Donnell has spoken of being resigned to not playing hurling again but, in the end, the 2013 All-Ireland final replay hat-trick hero took a year off from playing for Clare before making his return.
Lohan wasn't sure if O'Donnell would come back. "Absolutely, it was a real serious incident," said the Clare boss.
"There was a lot of...he got the expertise he needed. The quality player that he is, we'd love to have him back, but at the same time we were conscious it was such a serious incident.
"It was absolutely 100% his decision and his call as to when he came back. That has influenced how he has trained over the last two years, it is great for him that he has been able to get back and get back to the level he is at."
Once the county's biggest threat at the edge of the square, O'Donnell is now employed in the half-forward line.
"Yeah, I suppose in that half forward position the rarest commodity in the game is half forwards that can win their own ball and he is one of those guys," explained Lohan.
"Obviously, he is also a deadly inside forward, too. The question is where do you get the best use out of him is it in the half forward line or the full forward line? It is a great problem for us to have.
"He is that kind of individual, he would perform at an exceptional level in either of those lines on the field. When he was younger, under-14 or under-16, he was at centre back. He was always that bit ahead of his peers."
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